Nancy Murray first got involved in disability rights activism in 1977, volunteering when her daughter was in preschool. She quickly realized the importance of support for families of children with disabilities.
After many years of advocacy, she’ll soon retire as senior vice president of Achieva and president of The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh, an Achieva affiliate. Achieva provides services for people with disabilities and their families.
“Throughout my career, it has been an honor and a privilege to advocate for children and adults with disabilities and to support families,” she said in a statement announcing her plans to step down.
Murray has long advocated for more funding for people on waiting lists for disability services, for the shuttering of state institutions for people with intellectual disabilities in favor of more community-based services, and for higher wages for people who care for those with disabilities.
Pay issues for those workers continue to be a crisis, Murray said. Wages are largely driven by government reimbursements, which advocates have long argued remain too low.
“The rates that the state gives organizations like Achieva … do not enable providers to be able to go out and recruit and retain the caregivers, the direct support professionals that we need,” she said.
One of her proudest accomplishments was being one of the founders and the first director of the Down Syndrome Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital; she ran it until 1995. Murray also served as director of the western regional office for the state Office of Developmental Programs.
She will stay in her current role until a successor can be found.
Murray said she’s planning on volunteering in food pantries and being involved in food insecurity issues when she retires.
